Blue Shield Transitions Out of TPA Role for COVID-19 Vaccines

This week, the State of California and Blue Shield of California announced a joint agreement for Blue Shield of California to transition out of its role as the state’s third-party administrator (TPA) for COVID-19 vaccine allocation and distribution activities. Recall, the Newsom Administration in January 2021 announced the selection of Blue Shield of California as the TPA, along with sweeping changes for COVID-19 vaccine allocation and distribution activities.

Blue Shield has now transitioned to an as-needed advisory role for the state, and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will resume day-to-day operations and oversight of California’s COVID-19 Vaccine Program. Minor programmatic implications are anticipated as part of the transition back to CDPH.

Additional information from Blue Shield of California is available here.